NWR: What is in your lunchbox?

Let me preface this by saying…I am not a cook. I do not enjoy cooking or complicated things. That is why I need your ideas! I’m tired of sandwiches or salads.

What easy things do you take for lunch during the work week?

I work in a school, so I have ~20 to 25 minutes for lunch, barring any ridiculous escapades from the students. Basically, I don’t have a ton of time to wait for something to heat up in the microwave if I actually want to eat it! haha.

Today i’m having vegemite and avocado on crackers, but most days I have sandwich stuff here at work and throw together a hamd and salad sandwich or something similar. Or leftovers from the night before, FI doesn’t particularly like sandwiches so we always make enough dinner for 3 people so he can take the 3rd serve to work for lunch.

Lately it’s been Campbell’s soup on the go – pop it in microwave for 90 seconds and salad – tIve been on a baby arugula salad with strawberries almonds and raspberry vinegarette kick lately. I make the salad on Sunday and put it in individual Tupperware for the week so I can grab and go.

Rice and veggies are good, homemade leftovers, lots of homemade soups and chilis (just make a big crockpot then take the leftovers), tons of fruit…we rarely eat anything processed or eat out cause its so much healthier and cheaper to invest in good quality groceries

Something not really cooked huh….. my go to is smoked salmon cuz its cheap here and i do it at home. But other favs are cheese/apples. yogurt and cottage cheese (surprisingly good). Have you thought about wraps??

I don’t have a lot of time at work for lunch either. I keep salad stuff in the fridge during the week and pair that everyday with something more filling like leftover dinner, peanut butter sandwich, cup of noodles, or a microwave meal. If you are really pressed for time I would recommend a salad wrap or something fast you can eat with your hands. Granola bars are savers too. Or dried fruit/nuts. You can throw that on a salad and it’s super filling or just eat it by the handful and you’ll be surprised how little it takes to be full. My fiancé (a teacher) has little time too and is a bit picky about leftovers/lunch and he usually eats a bunch of almonds or a couple granola bars. He likes the Cliff bars and Lara bars too. Good luck! I’m always on the hunt for better lunch ideas!

– salad I make at home with baby spinach, chopped peppers, craisins, and grilled lean chicken / salmon / beef (buy it when it’s on sale, freeze it with marinade in ziplocks, and then broil or grill whenever you need more – so tasty!)

– healthy veggie-rich stew / soup / chili that we make in big batches in the crockpot, then freeze in glass tupperwares and defrost whenever we need more

Having these two things on hand mean that I always have something filling, tasty, healthy, and easy to eat. Bombdiggity.

I grill a couple of chicken breasts on Sunday, then bring half a chicken breast, half an avocado, and a string cheese for lunch each day. (I usually cut up the chicken breast and the avocado and put it on top of lettuce.) I know you said you don’t cook, but there are some reallllyyyyy easy quinoa recipes on skinnytaste.com that do not need to be re-heated and they are SO good! I usually make it on a Sunday and it makes several days worth of lunches. I have a co-worker whose wife always makes him quesadillas that he brings in that look amazing.